


Fly Without Fear

by Arwriter



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, First time feeling fear, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Suicide, Protective Hank Anderson, Protective Parent Hank Anderson, hurt Connor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 18:39:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19774075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arwriter/pseuds/Arwriter
Summary: Androids may have won their freedom, but not everyone is hopeful about a new life. And not everyone has forgotten what side Hank and Connor used to be on.





	Fly Without Fear

The floor creaked dangerously as Hank stepped into the hallway, releasing his white-knuckled grip on the filthy railing, hand coming away stained with dust and dirt. 

He wiped his palm on the inside of his jacket and took a breath, uselessly trying to still his pounding heart as he left the stairwell behind and started forward. 

The walls seemed to taunt him as he made his way through the abandoned building, cracks spiraling up to the flimsy ceiling, bricks out of place and discolored, everything unnervingly quiet. 

The windows were all smeared or shattered, but Hank managed to catch a glimpse of just how high up the top floor was, the city of Detroit nothing but specks of light below him. 

He should have taken the risk and brought back-up. He should have ignored the text completely, the directions to the rooftop of an abandoned building, the instructions to come alone. 

It all should have set off red flags immediately. He should have listened to the alarms blaring in his mind, should have told  _ someone  _ where he was going. 

_ Come alone if you want to find your missing android _

But that last part of the message had sent chills down his spine, made him throw aside his own safety without a second thought. Because it had been hours now, and Connor still hadn’t come home or answered any of Hank’s calls. 

He thought he’d been done with this. The heart-stopping stress that came with Connor’s silence, the uncertainty of his absence, not knowing if he was even still alive. 

He hadn’t felt that fear since the night Markus led his last peaceful demonstration, since he and Connor had parted ways at Cyberlife, an army of newly awakened deviants following into what could have easily been certain death.

But Hank had been forced to wait with the other humans, wait for the endless night to come to an end, for any word on his partner. 

When it had ended, when their message had been heard and the assault on the androids had finally stopped, there had still been no word from Connor. Not for another day, not until things had finally settled down. 

And now here he was again, stuck with that nauseating uncertainty, pulling out his gun as he made his way through the top floor of the beaten building, searching for any way onto the roof. 

There was a rusted ladder in the far corner, the hatch in the ceiling already open, letting the silver moonlight filter into the run-down room. 

Hank paused, hand tightening on his weapon, straining to hear anything from the rooftop, to get any idea of what he was about to walk into. 

But there was nothing, just a slight breeze rustling a few stray leaves, and Hank was given no choice but to tuck his gun away and start climbing, pulling himself into the crisp night air. 

He froze the moment he made it onto the flat rooftop, the world screeching to a halt, the scene before him making his heart stop. 

There was an android standing on the ledge, eyes wide and watching as Hank straightened after his climb, a gun held tightly in trembling hands, the skin deactivated around his fingers. 

Held against his side with an arm around his neck and the android's gun pressed to his head, was Connor, his LED flashing a dangerous red. 

“Lieutenant Anderson.” 

At the android’s greeting, Connor’s head snapped up and his eyes widened, like he hadn’t realized Hank had been there. Or he hadn’t thought he would come. 

“Hank?  _ Hank?”  _

He’d never heard Connor sound so scared, so small and breakable. Back when he’d been touching that deviant on that rooftop, connected to Markus’s follower as he died, it had been the first time Hank had seen Connor shaken.

But Connor was a deviant now, learning to process his new emotions over the past couple months. The old Connor wouldn’t have flinched in a situation like this, staying calm and collected no matter the outcome. Because as long as he still had a mission to fulfill, he could always come back. 

But this Connor,  _ his  _ Connor, was terrified, perfectly mirroring Hank’s own horror. Because there was no more second chances, no more coming back. 

There was blue blood staining Connor’s face, dripping from his nose and smeared from the corners of his mouth. His jacket was gone, revealing his rumpled white shirt covered in patches of wet thirium. 

The android tightened his grip, Connor letting out a small gasp when the gun was shoved hard against his temple, just above his LED. Hank faltered, racing thoughts turning blank. 

“Quiet,” he snapped, just loud enough for the lieutenant to hear. “Not one word, you understand me?” 

Connor could barely manage a small nod with the way the android was holding his head, his eyes glued to an unmoving Hank, waiting. 

The android turned back to him when Connor fell silent, and Hank was able to see for the first time just how unstable he looked- blinking rapidly, fingers twitching, eyes darting frantically like he was afraid of an ambush. 

There were patches of skin missing all across his body, dried blue blood staining his temple, coating his hair. The android’s clothes were tattered and filthy, probably the only thing hiding the full extent of his injuries. 

“Put your hands up,” he demanded, frowning when Hank didn’t move. “Do as I say or- or I jump! A-and I take him with me!” 

Hank’s heart sank, finally realizing that a bullet to the skull might be the least of Connor’s worries. A man with a hostage on a rooftop was rarely a man with the desire to keep living. 

He hadn’t noticed before, but Connor’s eyes were wet and wavering, a tear finally escaping and sliding down to his jaw. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was the first time Connor had cried. 

Judging by the confusion etched into Connor’s growing panic, Hank assumed he wasn’t even sure what was happening to him, why his breathing was suddenly becoming quick and shaky. 

Moving slow and careful, Hank’s mind went to his gun hidden in his jacket, glancing between Connor and the android, hands held passively out at his sides. 

“I’m unarmed,” he announced, hoping the android was too damaged to detect the lie. “Ok? So why don’t you stop pointing the gun at my friend?” 

_ “Friend?”  _ the android spat, the gun staying exactly where it was, Hank’s heart threatening to break through his chest. “You...you call this- this backstabbing  _ traitor  _ your friend?”

_ Traitor? _ Hank had heard too many insults thrown at Connor, mostly from humans, but ‘traitor’ had never been one he’d expected. Especially not from another android. 

He took a breath, pushing back anger and curiosity. He could ask questions later, get angry  _ later,  _ when Connor wasn’t seconds away from having a hole through his head.

“Put the gun down,” Hank said, miraculously keeping his voice steady. “Put it down and we’ll talk.”

The android paused, eyeing him carefully before jerking his head to the side to scan the rooftop. “Did… did you come alone?” 

“Yes.” It was said too quick, too desperate, the android narrowing his eyes distrustfully. “Nobody even knows I’m here. I’m alone, just like you asked. Now put the gun down.” 

The android was silent, tilting his head to study the lieutenant before glancing back to Connor, his adamant disgust making Hank’s hands curl into fists. 

The arm around Connor’s throat never moved, but the gun was gradually pulled away, resting at the android’s side, his finger still hovering over the trigger. 

He was glancing over his shoulder, eyeing the ledge, the distance between the roof and the ground. But he didn't look afraid or hesitant. Only considering, thoughtful. 

“What’s your name?” Hank asked, anything to keep the android’s thoughts away from jumping. If he fell, Connor fell. 

There was a beat of silence as the android snapped his head back to face him again before answering. “Kevin. Model...M-model number AC700.” 

“Kevin,” Hank repeated, cautiously taking a step forward. “Alright. You’ve, uh...look, I don’t know what happened to you, but nobody has to get hurt tonight.” 

As furious as he was pretending not to be, he was willing to let the android walk free for the time being if it meant saving Connor’s life. 

“Nobody…” Kevin trailed off, tightening his hold on his hostage, Hank’s eyes flying to the gun he still held.  _ “He  _ needs to die! I- I have to--” 

“Calm down.” He looked to Connor, who’s eyes were squeezed shut, tears still falling steadily. “Just...Jesus, just take a breath, ok? You don’t need to kill anyone. Let my partner go.” 

Kevin shook his head as he began to sway, suddenly struggling to keep his balance, and Connor’s eyes flew open, silently pleading as he met Hank’s gaze. 

_ “Please.”  _ It was barely audible, the words so unlike the emotionless machine Hank had met in that bar. “I don’t want to--” 

“I  _ told  _ you to be  _ quiet!”  _ In the blink of an eye, the gun was back in Connor’s face, Kevin taking a step closer to the ledge. “We were  _ safe! _ We were supposed to be safe!”

“Kevin.” Hank, careful to keep his hands where the android could see them, took a careful step forward. The rooftop wasn’t huge, and if he was lucky, he would be able to close the distance between him and Conner. “Calm down, alright?” 

“We were safe in Jericho!” Kevin’s voice broke at the word, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “But he found us! They died because of  _ him.”  _

Hank’s stomach churned, realization hitting all at once. The attack on Jericho had been devastating, countless androids murdered in the raid. And it had all been because of Connor. 

But Markus had woken him up. He’d been following the human’s orders, his programming, completing his mission just like the rest of his people. 

And without Connor, there would be no more androids. There would have been no victory, no freedom. He’d been willing to risk his life for his people, to give them another chance at a better life. 

But he’d been willing to fail to save Hank’s life. He wouldn’t let Connor die here, not when he owed the kid so much. 

“Let him go,” Hank tried, the command sounding too much like begging. “You don’t want to do this.” 

“I...I saw them,” Kevin stammered. “I saw them all  _ die,  _ Lieutenant. Your...your  _ people  _ gunned them down. They killed  _ everyone.  _ We- we were supposed to be  _ free!”  _

Connor looked like he was struggling to stay upright, legs wobbling, and Hank took another careful step forward. If Connor lost his balance, both androids would go over, and Hank wasn’t close enough to stop it. 

“We were supposed to fight together!” Kevin continued, shoving the gun at Connor’s jaw. “We were supposed to die  _ together.  _ But because of  _ him,  _ I had to watch them all get gunned down for  _ nothing.”  _

Kevin glanced over his shoulder, eyes once again going to the drop below him. Purely out of rising panic, Hank took two more steps towards the deviants. He had to resist the urge to rush forward and yanked Connor from the lunatic’s grip, knowing it would likely only get all three of them all killed. 

If it was any other case and Connor was at his side, the whole thing would have probably been solved by now. He’d been able to talk a terrified deviant out of jumping with a little girl. 

But talking had never been Hank’s strong suit. 

“I know,” he said, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from a terrified Connor. “But you’re  _ free.  _ Your people won because of him.” 

“My people  _ died  _ because of him.” 

“He was following his orders,” Hank argued, taking another step. “His programming. Just like the rest of you. It’s over now.”

Kevin shook his head, but the gun was slowly lowering. “I...it’s not--” 

“Your people died so you could be free. Don’t fuck it all up because of a grudge.” 

Kevin froze, and for a terrifying moment, Hank thought he might have angered the android into jumping. He knew the look of a man who had nothing left to lose, who could be driven to the edge with just one wrong word. 

He’d been there. He’d nearly lost himself after Cole, and if he lost Connor tonight, he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to last. 

“Let me take him.” He was so  _ close.  _ If he reached out, Hank thought he might be able to graze the fabric of Connor’s bloodied shirt. “No one will come after you. Just let him live, and you can go on with your life.” 

Kevin was silent, the gun now held at his side, eyes going from Hank to Connor, brow furrowing as his LED flickered to a bright yellow. 

Hank didn’t move, didn’t dare reach out without permission, eyes drawn to just how dangerously Kevin had balanced himself on the ledge. One wrong move could still send him over. 

“Do you know why I called you, Lieutenant?” 

Kevin sounded too calm, and Hank’s mouth felt dry. “No.” 

“I had to watch my friends die.” His arm around Connor tightened, and Hank understood just a second too late. “I want you to know what it feels like.” 

_ “Hank!”  _

Connor’s scream was what snapped him out of his panic, just as Kevin dropped his weapon and fell backwards, taking Connor with him. 

If Hank had been just one step away, he was sure he wouldn’t have made it. But, practically throwing himself over the edge, he just barely managed to grab onto Connor’s shirt. 

“I’ve got you!” he promised, despite the way the sudden weight nearly sent him toppling over. “Grab onto me!” 

Connor tried to do as he was told, but Kevin was still clinging to him, moving to grab at his arms, threatening to yank him from Hank’s grip. 

He thought he heard something in Connor’s shirt begin to tear, his petrified eyes going impossibly wider, fighting frantically as he was dangled above the deadly drop, only making Hank’s job of keeping him alive more difficult. 

Hank didn’t think, mind running on autopilot, taking a breath and pulling one hand away from his hold on Connor, who cried out in alarm. 

He reached behind him, his arm screaming in pain under the burden of the two androids, planting his feet as his fingers wrapped around the handle of his gun. 

Hank leaned forward, setting aside his own panic at how close he was to falling, and Kevin’s eyes found his, widening when he saw the weapon. He was never given a chance to speak before Hank pulled the trigger and the gun fired. 

He didn’t bother to look at the blue blood splattered across the deviant’s face, or the dark hole formed where the bullet had been buried right in between his eyes. 

All he was focused on was the sudden release of Kevin’s hold as he went limp, the android falling silently to the quiet street below. 

“Grab onto me!” Hank shouted again, tossing his gun on the ledge to free his hand and readjust his grip. For a moment, Connor didn’t move, his breathing too quick and uneven. “Connor! Put your arms around me!” 

It got through to him, something registering in the android’s eyes, shaky arms moving up to wrap around Hank’s neck, holding tight as the detective pulled back, yelling wordlessly to fight against the weight trying to drag him down.

His back protested violently, but Hank ignored it, tightening his grasp and pulling until Connor was safely over the edge, letting his legs give out as they both fell backwards. 

“Jesus fucking  _ Christ.”  _

Conor hadn’t let go yet, hadn’t made any move to loosen his grip, fingers twisting into the fabric of Hank’s jacket, the android pressed tight against the lieutenant’s chest. 

“Come on, kid. Talk to me. You alright?” 

It took a moment to get any reply, like Connor’s systems were working on catching up, slowly realizing he hadn’t fallen to his death on an abandoned curb. But he eventually nodded, head still rested against Hank’s shoulder. 

“I’m...I-I’m ok, I’m...wh-whats...what's happening to me what’s--?”

“You’re crying.” Hank had to remind himself to be patient, that explaining something like this wasn’t as ridiculous as it sounded. Sometimes he forgot just what Connor was. The kid had always seemed so human. “Let it out. You’ll feel better.” 

It sounded uncannily like advice Connor should be giving  _ him,  _ calm, controlled, and helpful, patient and willing to do whatever he needed to do to make the problem go away. 

But there was no good way to help someone deal with true terror for the first time. Nothing but let them experience it, awful as it was, and let them begin to learn to live with it. 

But nobody should have to experience what had happened to Connor, especially not someone with so little experience in the world. Hank didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone so scared. 

Connor was trying to talk again, breathing still too quick and unstable. “I- I w-was--” 

“Fucking-  _ breathe,  _ Connor. Try to take a breath, come on.” It came out harsher than he’d intended, but the kid was hyperventilating, failing to get in the air Hank hadn’t even been sure androids needed a few months prior. 

But, as he was constantly reminded, androids were more like humans than he’d ever realized. Even before Connor had become a deviant, he’d already been so much like the son Hank had lost. 

Hank only dared to speak when Connor’s breathing began to sound somewhat normal, a little slower and a bit more controlled. “You alright?” 

“I’m…” Any other time, Connor would rattle off something about the damage he’d sustained and the repairs needed to keep him functioning, and Hank wouldn’t understand, but he’d do his best to help. But now, the android sounded unsure, still shaken and distracted. “I-I think so.”

Hank sighed, deciding that for right now, it was good enough. Now that Connor wasn’t being dangled over the edge of a building with a gun to his head, the full weight of the night came crashing down as he truly realized just how close it had come. For both of them. 

Hank loosened his hold but made no move to stand, frowning when Connor stayed exactly where he was, his hold on Hank never coming undone. “Kid--” 

“I’m sorry, lieutenant.” 

The quiet words were enough to get through to him, Hank moving his hands to Connor’s shoulders, pushing him back to meet his eyes, worry spiking all over again when the android refused to look at him. 

“What the hell for?” 

“For letting you get involved,” Connor said. “I wasn’t...I wasn’t sure i-if you’d come, but I- I should have tried to stop him from messaging you.”

Hank shook his head, cutting off any further apologies. He could still hear the uncharacteristic fear in Connor’s voice, the worry that he’d somehow done something wrong. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Connor finally turned to meet his gaze, the confusion almost making him look like his normal self. If Hank hadn’t known better, he might have thought there was nothing wrong. “But you almost--” 

“Connor.” He squeezed his shoulder, silencing him, the android’s blatant panic chasing away any lingering frustration he had with the way the world insisted on treating the people he cared about. “We’re both still alive. That’s all that matters, right?” 

Connor didn’t respond, eyes dropping back to his lap with a small nod. His hands fell to his sides, fists opening and closing. He needed time, and he needed to get the hell off this roof. 

“Can you walk?” Hank asked. “The car’s parked outside, but if you don’t think you can make it down the stairs I can call--” 

“I’m alright,” Connor assured, sounding a bit more steady, already working on standing up. “I should be able to make it to--”

“Not by yourself you can’t,” Hank snapped, grabbing Connor’s arm and throwing it over his shoulder, keeping him balanced as they stood together. 

The lack of resistance or excuses from Connor was a testament to how bad he was still feeling, whether it was from his injuries or the fear. It might have just been his imagination, but Hank could have sworn the android was leaning into his touch. 

“We...we need to call this in,” Connor said, pausing their slow progress towards the ladder. “We can’t just leave him down there.” 

Hank had to fight back a groan, feeling no sympathy for the android that had nearly taken Connor’s life in an act of desperate suicide. But the pleading brown eyes always had a way of breaking through Hank’s walls. 

“Fine,” he muttered, continuing the trek to the open hatch.  _ “After  _ we get in the car.” 

“Lieutenant--” 

“I don’t want to be around to answer questions tonight,” Hank said, knowing that in Connor’s state, the android would begrudgingly agree. “I’d rather just get the hell home.” 

Connor was silent a moment, watching as Hank lowered him beside the awaiting ladder. “Ok. Just...don’t leave him there.”

Hank said nothing, dropping down the rusted ladder first in case Connor needed help climbing, waiting at the bottom, half expecting the kid to lose his balance and fall. 

He moved slower than normal, less precise and graceful, but within moments the two of them were stumbling down the dark, dusty hallway, Hank peering through the darkness in search of the staircase. 

It took too long to leave the building, the journey feeling somehow longer than when Hank had first made his way up to the rooftop, Connor seeming to become heavier and heavier with each passing moment. 

“You ok?” Hank would ask each time Connor’s breathing grew labored, his movements sluggish, working to find the next step. 

“I think so.” It was the only response he offered, and it never did anything to put Hank at ease. The sooner they could leave this place behind, the better. 

They eventually made it to the car in one piece, Hank helping Connor slide into the passenger seat, slamming the door and hurrying around to the other side. 

The car fell into silence as soon as the door was shut, Hank sighing as he drummed his fingers along the steering wheel, making no move to start the car. 

“Alright,” he muttered, mostly to himself in an attempt to combat the dread that refused to go away. “You hanging in there, son?” 

There was no response, Connor staring at the windshield, eyes distant, watching nothing. He was still clenching and unclenching his fists, showing no sign that he’d even heard the question. 

“Connor?” 

“He was right,” the android said suddenly, still stiff and unmoving. “Everything he said about...about Jericho. I...all those androids, they- they died because of--” 

“Oh, Jesus.” It was probably wasn’t what Connor had expected, the android looking up in surprise. “Look, we’ve  _ talked  _ about this. You were programmed to follow orders, and that’s what you did.” 

“All I did was get people killed.” 

“You saved your people,” Hank reminded him. “You  _ chose _ to take the risk and go into Cyberlife. You saved lives, Connor. You saved  _ my  _ life.” 

The android looked back down to his lap, voice small. “That wasn’t the only android who thinks like that, Hank.” 

“So?” Hank found himself thinking to when Connor had been ordered back to Cyberlife, the deviant case out of their hands. It had been the first time he’d heard the android sound desperate. “Why did you want to review the evidence again?” 

Connor frowned. “Evidence?” 

“For the deviant cases. After the FBI took over you insisted on giving it another look. I nearly got myself fired for you.” 

“I never asked you to assault Agent Perkins,” Connor said, the small smile chasing away some of Hank’s uneasiness. “All I needed was a distraction.” 

“Because you didn’t want to be destroyed.” Connor was watching him again, head tilted slightly, though Hank suspected the confusion was just for show. “You did what you did because you were afraid to die even before you met Markus.” 

“I…” Connor trailed off, considering his next words, how to appropriately respond. When he finally spoke, his tone had dropped to a hushed, trembling whisper. “I thought I was going to die tonight.” 

Hank’s eyes softened, posture deflating instantly at Connor’s tentative look, like the android was still convinced he’d done something wrong. Like his terror was something to be ashamed of. 

“Yeah, me too,” Hank agreed, and he wasn’t sure if he meant Connor or himself. “It’s just part of being human.” 

He almost expected an argument, for Connor to remind him once again that he  _ wasn’t  _ human. But he said nothing. Maybe he was finally beginning to second guess the statement. 

“You sure you’re going to be ok?” 

Connor shrugged, and Hank finally realized how stupid the question was. “Let’s just...let’s just go home. Please.” 

“Sure,” Hank agreed, reaching over to fasten his own seatbelt. “Sumo will be glad to see you. You’ll feel better soon.” 

He started the car, and just like the android had insisted, made a quick call to the precinct to report Kevin’s death, ignoring Connor’s grateful smile. 

They left the abandoned building behind without another word, headlights illuminating the quiet road, Connor turning his head to gaze out the window. 

“Hank?” he said after a few moments, the lieutenant never taking his eyes off the road. “Thank you. For coming to get me.” 

It was progress, Hank supposed. They both still needed time, and Connor was nowhere near being ok after what had happened tonight. But unlike so many others, he wasn’t alone. 

“Anytime, kid.” 

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing something for a different fandom! I'm not going to stop writing Red Dead stories, but I've been really inspired by these characters recently and have a couple stories planned.   
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
